1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heat dissipation devices for removing heat from electronic components, and more particularly to a tubular heat dissipation device for dissipating heat from an electronic component.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventional heat dissipation devices used for removing heat from electronic components are mostly formed by extrusion of metallic material. FIG. 3 shows an example of this kind of heat dissipation device. The heat dissipation device comprises a base, and a plurality of pins integrally extending from the base. The pins are relatively thick in comparison with distances defined between each two adjacent pins, due to inherent limitations in extrusion technology. This restricts the number of the pins that can be formed, and a total heat dissipation area that can be provided by the pins. Furthermore, a height of the pins is limited to about 13 times the distance between each two adjacent pins, also due to inherent limitations in extrusion technology.
With the continuing boom in electronics technology, numerous modern electronic packages such as central processing units (CPUs) of computers can operate at very high speeds and thus generate large amounts of heat. The heat must be efficiently removed from the CPU; otherwise, abnormal operation or damage may result. Conventional extruded heat dissipation devices are increasingly no longer able to adequately remove heat from these contemporary electronic packages.
In order to keep pace with these developments in electronics technology, assembled heat dissipation devices have been gaining in popularity. FIG. 4 shows an assembled heat dissipation device comprising a base 200 for contacting a top surface of the electronic package, a plurality of spaced, stacked fins 400 parallel to the base 200, and a plurality of heat pipes 300 engaged transversely through fins 400 and engaged with the base 200. This heat dissipation device provides a larger heat dissipation area. However, heat accumulated on the base 200 is transferred away to the fins 400 merely through the heat pipes 300, which provide relatively small contact areas with the base 200. In addition, the fins 400 are still relatively small. Furthermore, it is difficult to provide forced air convection, because of the arrangement of the heat pipes 300 and the fins 400. No matter where on the heat dissipation device a fan is mounted, the heat pipes 300 block airflow and create much turbulence. For all these reasons, the efficiency of heat removal is frequently not adequate for a modern electronic package.